Chapter 53

Now that the game was over and the Bears were wearing Championship rings again, everyone in the Draiman clan started looking forward to two new events- Miranda's wedding and the birth of Grace Irian Maguire, the first great- grandchild for the Matriarch and Patriarch of the family.

After the game David and Brie stayed at Jordan's as Skyler started getting things together for the grandest prank ever pulled. Jordan was being the usual worrywart that she had become when she noticed her once vivacious parents health starting to deteriorate. She fussed over their every move. The day they went back to Jake's place, they made sure that Jordan knew what they thought. "Damn it Jordan!" Brie said as she walked through the front door. "Back the hell off. I am perfectly fucking capable of walking into the house without assistance."

"I don't want you to get hurt Mom", Jordan said, a hand at yet mother's elbow.

"It is highly unlikely that I'm going to do anything worse than stub my fucking toe between your car and the house."

"What if you fall and break your hip? Or if Dad's knee gives out and he falls? I have to listen to Jake bitch at me because I wasn't careful."

"If Mom or me fall between the car and the door it's because we're in our 80's and have a little more trouble moving around than we used to. If Jake bitches at you he'll deal with me. Now, BACK THE HELL OFF JORDAN HANNAH!" David said, his temper showing just a bit.  “Now, move so that your mother and I can sit down.”

She threw her hands up in the air and backed off.  “You two are impossible.  I’m damned if I do and damned if I don’t.”

David massaged his temple and took a deep breath so that he could speak calmly.  “Jordan, you cannot baby us.  We are adults.  We can take care of ourselves.  We’ve been doing so for several years.  All of you need to learn to back off.  I’m to the point where I’m tired of it and will tolerate no more.  We are not going to be around forever.  You need to accept that.”

“So I’m not accepting of the fact that you won’t be here forever by making sure that you don’t hurt yourself coming into the house?”

Once they had lowered themselves to the couch, Brie looked from her husband back to their daughter who was still standing by the door.  “First of all Jordan, get in the house and close the door.  Jake’s not paying the bills so that you can stand there with the door open and heat the outside.  Second, that’s precisely your father’s point.  You’re going to have to let go eventually.  Yes, our health isn’t what it used to be but that’s doesn’t mean that we’re not capable of… of getting in and out of the car or the house without you or one of your siblings grabbing our arm or our hand the moment we move.  If we need the help we’ll ask for it.  Our pride isn’t so much that we won’t speak up and ask for help if we need it.”  David just nodded in agreement.

“I’m sorry that I just want you to be ok.  Maybe I want you to stick around a little longer to see Jasmine graduate.”

“And if that’s what’s in God’s will then that is what will be, Jordan”, David said.

“Have you started reading the Talmud recently or something Dad?  This doesn’t sound like you.”

“Jordan”, Jake said when he came in the room, “stop arguing with Mom and Dad.  Show a little respect for them and their wishes.”

“Jake, butt out.  This is between me and our parents.”

“No, I will not butt out.  You’re going to respect our parents or you can leave.”

“Family dinner tonight, Jake.  I’m here on Delilah’s orders.”

“Then respect my house, respect our parents for the fact that they gave you life and raised you, or you are dismissed from family dinner until you can do as much.”  Jake was getting pissed at his twin’s attitude.  “I told you before Mom and Dad left that after Hanukkah that you needed to back the hell off.  I was reluctant to even entertain the thought of them going and staying with you because I know how you are.  And everyone tells me that I need to relax.”

“If I want to fret over them, that’s my prerogative.”

Jake took a deep breath, closed his eyes and counted to ten in his head.  “Jordan, my office.  NOW”, he said through gritted teeth and waited for her to head for the stairs before following behind her.

David and Brie exchanged a look.  “This isn’t going to be pretty”, Brie said.

“Nope.  But it seems that Jordan has earned it.”

---------------

“Of all the bone headed bull shit you’ve spouted over the years, Jordan, this certainly takes the fucking cake!” Jake shouted as he paced his office floor.  “And the fact that you come into my home and blatantly disrespect me like that is fucking repulsive!  I have told you countless times that you need to grow the hell up and let Mom and Dad go so that they can pass in peace when it’s time and you have deliberately ignored me.  And now it’s grating on Mom and Dad’s nerves.  What the hell is your problem?”

“I would like it if Mom and Dad were more fucking careful so that they can stick around for Jasmine to graduate from high school.  Is that too fucking much to ask?” she screamed right back at him.

“When the hell are you going to grow the fuck up, Jordan?  Honestly?  Will it be the 12^th of fucking never?”

“Do you know something that I don’t?”  Jake hesitated.  “Spit it out Jacob.  I have the right to know.”

“NO YOU DON’T!” he screamed.  “DON’T PRESUME TO COME INTO MY HOME AND TELL ME WHAT YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO.  YOU KNOW WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW!  WHEN I HAVE LICENSE TO TELL YOU WHAT I KNOW, YOU WILL BE TOLD THEN AND NOT A MOMENT SOONER!” 

Jordan looked at her twin brother in shock.  “I’ve never heard you speak to anyone like that, Jake.”

He took a deep breath.  “I’m sorry I lost composure for a moment.  You and I both know I don’t lose my temper like that.  There are things going on with Mom and Dad that you will never understand.  Things I can’t even share with Delilah.  The only other souls that I know of that know are Maddie, Jeremiah, and Jessykah.  If any of the kids that saw things they haven’t told us anything.  I can’t share what I know.  You have no idea how badly I want to I want to tell you all what I know, but I can’t.  This is delicate, Jordan, and you need to let them go.  Give them permission to go when they’re ready to and it will be easier on all of us- including them.  I told you a month ago when I first said this that I could gladly do whatever you needed of me and Jeremiah said the same thing.  If you need to talk because you’re having trouble coming to terms with it, then open your mouth and say something.  I don’t read minds.  I’m a neurologist not a telepath.”  He chuckled at the end and took her hands in his.  “Sis, I know you worry after Mom and Dad.  I do too.  Believe me; it’s just as hard for me to come to terms with this idea of them slipping into the next life as it is for you but I’m slowly doing it.  I can only hope that by the time they finally go that I’ll be ready so that I can handle the necessary business.”

“What business will there be?”

He sighed.  “I’ve had to look into a LOT of Jewish burial law since Mom and Dad gave me their will and all that wonderful stuff.  They outlined everything they wanted done and to be truthful, there’s a lot that was left out.  Part of the law is to have them interred within 3 days of death.  Someone has to escort each body back over to Israel, seeing as they have bought their plots.  If they go one at a time then the one that survives will escort the one that’s passed back and Jeremiah or I will go along with then everyone can follow.  If they do like we all suspect they will and go at the same time Jeremiah and I will both have to go at the same time and then everyone else can follow.”

“I hate thinking about Mom and Dad dying Jake.  I really do.”

“I know, Jordan.  I don’t like it any more than you do, but you have to realize that it’s going to happen whether we’re ready for it to or not.”

---------------

“The last time I saw that kind of anger in Jacob’s eyes was the day that Miriam was born”, Brie said to Delilah, who had come into the living room not long after Jake and Jordan had disappeared upstairs.  “He looked like he was seconds from breaking our biggest rule when they were kids.”

“Never to strike their sisters?” Delilah asked.

“Yeah.  He looked pissed.”

“But in Jake’s defense”, David said, “Jordan was being pretty disrespectful.  Now, do get me wrong, we can both fight our own battles but neither of us really enjoys confrontation and we did sell the house to you and Jake when we moved so Jake taking over was only natural.  You two have made this your home after we moved out and he is the man of the house.”

“Yeah, and it’s not the first time he’s had to go off on any of his siblings since you left either”, Delilah said, “that time everyone gathered here when the Utopians were trying to take over again 11 years ago aside.  Jake’s had to blow his stack a few times.  And as we all know, Jake’s not one to lose his temper.”

“That’s for sure”, David said.  “That’s why he’s better suited to take over after I pass than Malachai would have been.  And you’re going to make a wonderful matriarch.”

Delilah smiled.  “Thanks Dad.  It’s taken a lot for me to get comfortable in the role.  When Jake and I met I wasn’t this assertive.  I’ve had to learn to be.  It’s been pretty liberating, I have to say.”

“Being a mother of 4 has helped you with that, I’m sure”, Brie said with a smile.

“Oh yeah.  There had been a point when Jake and I tossed around the idea of trying to outdo the two of out in the baby department.  I told him he was out of his ever loving mind after the twins were born.”

“Why on Earth would you two want to try to outdo us?  Did you want to be raising children into your 60’s?” David asked.

“No.  It had just been something that Jake had dreamed of doing when he was younger and when we first got together for good we kicked around the idea and it seemed like it would be fun to try.  Then the twins were conceived and I looked at him and told him that the novelty of us having more than four had worn off.”  She laughed.

“Good for you”, Brie said.

“Are there ever times when you wish you had told Dad no after Maddie?”

Brie shook her head.  “No.  I love all ten of the little bastards, from Malachai to Jessi and Marc and everyone in between.  I adore all of the children that married in and my life would not be complete without the 27 grand brats you’ve all blessed us with.  The opportunity to greet little Grace is certainly a blessing in and of itself for the both of us.  I mean; our first great-grandchild.  This is something I was almost certain that we’d never see.  Miranda and Isaiah are pushing 30.  We were hoping for sooner, but we understood that they wanted to get settled into their careers first.”

“Hell, I was nearly 40 when I met your mother in law here and we started having children”, David added.

“How old were you when Jake and Jordan were born?”

“I was almost 38 when they came along.”

Delilah grinned.  “Now look.  You’re nearly 85 with a massive family that exploded before your eyes and you’re in the twilight of life.  What do you think when you look at the huge portrait of the family over there above the fireplace?”

“I look at my wife and think, ‘Damn we did good’.”

“What about you, Mom?  What do you think?”

“The same thing.  We usually think it simultaneously”, Brie responded.  “We’re pretty in tune with each other.”

Delilah grinned.  “I think Jake and I have developed something like that.  We know what the other is thinking.”

“You’ve been married long enough to be able to.  Patterns develop and you know each other inside out.  You know each other’s strengths and weaknesses.  Once you know someone that well, it’s hard not be able to know what the other is thinking.  The question is; what do you do with it?”

---------------

When everything settled down after Jake chewed Jordan's ass and made her apologize to their parents for not only her behavior but her attitude, James came over after all of the younger kids were out of school so that Josie, Nikki, and Will could hang out with their cousins. He found his parents in the kitchen enjoying a cup of tea together while there was some form of quiet in the house. He sighed and set his Nook reading pad on the table as he took a seat. "Sorry to interrupt with my melancholy. Just ignore me."

His parents looked at him from the corners of their eyes and shook their heads. "Fat chance of that one, Matthew. What seems to be the problem?" his father said.

"I'm feeling a bit... inadequate; I guess is the word I'd use."

"What has you feeling inadequate?" his mother asked.

"I'm not necessarily comfortable sharing this with you Mom. It's just a little awkward."

"Is it something to do with your love life?" He nodded. "Well then, maybe I can add a female perspective."

James sighed. "Ok. Kenna says she wants to change things up in the bedroom and has investigated this thing called the Kama Sutra. Are you familiar with it?"

Both of his parents tried not to choke on the tea they were drinking. "Yeah James, we're familiar", his father chuckled. "Please continue. This is too funny."

"Well, she brought me the book and this eZine for Cosmo and said she wanted me to look at them. I thought she was happy with the way things were in bed."

Brie laughed. "My poor, cocky, misguided, sex fiend of a son; you shouldn't be so hard on yourself. She just wants to explore, that's all. There's nothing wrong with that."

"Really?"

David nodded. "Yep. There's nothing wrong with wanting a little variety in bed. Hell, your mother and I have done all 526 positions described in the Kama Sutra. We did it to have a little variety in love making."

"But does this mean that she's not being satisfied?"

Brie shook her head. "Not by a long shot. Now, seeing as I can't get into Kenna's head and tell you what she's thinking I'll tell you my thought process when I brought the prospect to your father."

"What were you thinking?"

"That I wanted to find more ways to please your Dad. So, I started looking into different resources like Cosmo and the Kama Sutra. Once I had an argument to bring to Dad I sat him down and we talked about it logically. Once we agreed- and believe me, it didn't take a lot of convincing- we started trying different things and came to learn that the things were trying weren't just about pleasing him, but there were things that we did that were just to heighten intimacy or things that were mainly for my pleasure. There were things that tested my flexibility, Dad's strength, both of our sense of balance and it provided variety. We weren't doing the same thing every time we made love."

"It didn't hurt that the first one we tried involved a strip tease and Mom came out of our bathroom wearing the sluttiest lingerie I'd ever seen", David added.

"Really?" James laughed.

Brie nodded. "Yeah and we applied standard strip club rules- he could look, but he couldn't touch. We had a really sturdy chair that we did a LOT of things in. It's part of why we got that chaise lounge and that rug in front of the fireplace we had put in after we all moved back here after the Occupation."

"What was with the fire place?"

"It served a dual purpose", David said. "First and foremost it was to keep our room warm. Neither of us can stand the cold and that was one of your mother's sticking points. She said that just because we lived in Colorado didn't mean that we had to freeze during the winter. And, it was for romance and intimacy. We would curl up in front of the fireplace and talk. We'd just lie there and hold each other. We'd do all kinds of things in front of that fireplace. It was honestly our favorite place to be together during the frigid ass winters we spent here."

"Just one?"

"James, what do you think you father and I did during the years we spent raising you and your brothers and sisters?"

"I know you fooled around every chance you got. Other than that I have no idea."

"We both worked and had a million other things to do while I was home. We snuck what time we could away from business and spent time just the two of us, sure. But it wasn't until Mom retired that one of us had a flexible enough schedule to do all of the things you kids seem to be under the impression that we did", David said. "That was when Mom would sneak into my office so that we could play or she would 'convince' me to step away from my work so that we could go to lunch or something like that. We took what time we could when we were both working. Amazingly you kids seem to think that it was practically endless when I was home."

"You want to know what fed that illusion?"

"Please?"

"You were always in the kitchen helping Mom cook no matter what time of day it was. You didn't do business while we were home, even if we were home sick. You didn't work weekends, unlike Mom who worked six days a week unless it was a birthday or holiday."

"Who do you think took care of the logistics so that I could have five, six clients in and out of the house a day until I retired?" Brie asked. She and David both pointed to him. "This guy."

"So you guys didn't fuck as much as we're all under the impression you did?"

"Probably not, but we've done a lot of it in our relationship and we know what we're talking about as far as Kenna want to explore things sexually", David says. "And if you doubt us, you can just grow a set and ask her yourself."

Chapter 52

"Now that we're here", David asked Jake that evening after everyone that didn't live at homestead anymore had left, "what exactly is the plan?"

"Well, obviously, the game is coming up and that's the only reason that you and Mom aren't still in Israel as we speak. We're going to have a big Super Bowl party here at homestead for everyone that might want to attend. More than likely it will be all of us boys. I don't see Maddie coming over unless Colt drags her over."

David nodded. "Makes sense, and Colt's not a Bears fan. He's a Cardinals man."

"Right. We've got the party pretty planned out and you and Mom only have to sit here and watch the game."

"You all won't mind if we don't come in for a large part of the day, will you?" Brie asked.

"Not at all, Mom. Did you and Dad have plans?"

"No", David said. "We just want to be as out of the way as we can be while you all get the prep for the game out of the way."

Jake nodded. "That makes sense. While you guys are here are you going to spend some time with Skyler and Kaylian?"

"We had planned on it. They are family after all."

"Cool. We invited them to the party as well. I had Jeremiah extend the invitation to his in-laws the last time they went out there for dinner."

"We'll probably have them out at the cottage a couple of times before the wedding.”

“That’s up to you.  I’m sure you’ll all have a lot of fun together this visit.”

They exchanged a look.  “Jake”, Brie said, “this isn’t a visit.”

“It’s not?”

“No”, David said.  “You’re mother and I have finally accepted that we can’t keep hopping the pond like we have been the last several years.  We’re going to finish out our lives here at homestead.”

Jake was taken aback.  “I was not expecting this”, he said in his shock.  “Wow.  What the fuck?”

“What weren’t you expecting?”

“The two of you to ever admitting that you’re in no shape to be pond jumping the way you have been.  It’s 

shocking to say the very least.  Welcome news, but shocking nonetheless.”

“Your mother’s back can’t take the long hours anymore.”

“I’ve got to be able to lay down at my leisure rather than whenever I can find a minute”, Brie said.  “When I’m in a lot of pain I have you here if I need you.  I don’t have that in Israel.  It just behooves us to stay here and finish out our days, son.  It’s what makes the most sense.”

He nodded.  “I understand that Mom.  No need to explain.”  He chuckled.  “I’ll let Delilah know.  I’m sure it will put her mind to ease as well.”  He sighed.  “But are you two sure this is what you want?  You know I just want to see you happy and at peace.”

“We’re at peace with it, Jacob.  That’s all you need to concern yourself with.  Now, is there any way that we can get some peace and quiet until it’s time to eat or do we need to go out to the cottage?”

“You could go up to the guest room you stayed in that last couple of times you came out.”

David looked down at his wife.  “What do you want to do?”

“Let’s go up to the guest room for the time being.  I need to lie down now and I’m sure you knees are giving you hell.”

David just stood and offered her a hand so that she could stand and they could go up the stairs to relax.  Jake was close by just in case they needed him.  Once they had started up the stairs, he disappeared into the kitchen to let everyone know that their parents/ grandparents were resting and to keep it down.  He also told his wife what his parents had just told him about their last trip was in fact the last one.  The next time they would fly back to Israel would be when they were to be laid to rest.

---------------

Over the next few days everyone just went about their days the way they were supposed to. No one really paid any attention to whether or not David and Brie came into the house unless they called to come in. Meals were eaten out at the cottage unless they really wanted to go in. Brie did as much cooking as she could where she and David were concerned. If she couldn't do it, it was usually because her back just wouldn't let her. If David couldn't do it either it because of his knees he would just call up to the house and have them bring something out. It was usually around dinner time when Brie's back would start really giving her trouble. All David would do was call up to the house and Delilah would send them food.

On the day of the game, Kaylian and Skyler joined them for lunch and good conversation. As they ate lunch, they got caught up and Skyler and Kaylian updated them on the goings on with the grandchildren- especially the two that they shared.

After lunch, they all headed into the living room. As soon as they were all situated a sly grin crossed David's face. "Skyler, you know what would be priceless brother?"

Skyler noticed the sly grin on his brother's face and returned it with a curious smirk. "There are many things that would be priceless, brother. What do you happen to have in mind in that insane head of yours?"

Brie was quick to get out of the room. As much as she wanted to know what the men were going to plot, there were times that it was best for her to have plausible deniabity. "Kay, I think we need to step out and let the men scheme. Care to assist me in getting some tea for everyone?"

Kaylian smiled. "Absolutely. You let me know what you need done in the preparations for tea and I'll gladly do it."

As the women got up to go into the kitchen, David's grin became just a little more wicked. "One more time, I've got to mess with them, man. One more time. I wanna see which ones freak and which ones stay calm."

The smirk on Skyler's face became a grin as wicked as the one on David's face. "Oh yeah. As sadistic as that sounds, I like it. I've been watching your fretful children and quite frankly they could use the test. I would like to see who's truly ok with you wanting your own freedom and who's still wanting to babysit you", he said. He'd been watching as the Draiman children had become more and more fretful over their parents through the years and it was time that they learned that their beloved parents weren't going to be around forever. "Although", he added, "once we're done messing with them, if you're up to it I wouldn't mind sneaking out to the shooting range with a bottle of Irish whiskey and maybe do a brief round of real target practice. You know, for old times sake? But only if you're up to it, David."

Brie stood carefully so that she and Kaylian could leave the room. "Keep in mind, David, that we're under strict doctor's orders not to put ourselves under too much strain. That being said, make sure you get them for me too."

David took his wife's hand and kissed the back of it gently. "Yes dear, I'll keep that in mind."

With that, Brie turned to Kaylian. "Shall we dear? I'll need you to get the things out of the cabinet that I can't reach anymore."

Kaylian nodded with a smile. "Absolutely. Come, let's go and let the old boys over there plot to themselves", she chuckled.

When the women left, David spoke again to Skyler. "I'll go out with you and watch you shoot but I'm under doctor's orders not to pick up a rifle. Being in my 80's sucks, bro. Now as far as fucking with my children's heads- any thoughts? I know that saying I'm going anywhere near the firing range will mess them all up, no matter how ok they are with me having freedom. I want something that will seriously put their state of mind to the test. I don't want to joke about something serious like they found cancer or anything, but I want to tell if they're ok with my and their mother's need for them to back the hell off."

Skyler took a few minutes to think and shrugged. "Hmm... I'm not sure, brother. I know for a fact that the kids will fall all over themselves about the shooting range, otherwise I'm not sure. You know your children better than anyone when it comes to their points of weakness, not me. What do you think will put their patience to the test?"

David shrugged as he rubbed his hand over his bare scalp. "Same here brother. I have no idea off the top of my head."

Brie called out from the kitchen as she and Kaylian were finishing the tea. "Boys, you can still use the Range. Say that instead of rifles, you're going to use paintball guns or something and use empty liquor bottles instead of those paper targets. I'm sure that you guys can build on that, right?"

David and Skyler exchanged a look. "She might be onto something. What do you think? Can we make it work?"

Skyler nodded. "Oh yeah. That would be perfect. And then that won't be too bad about you picking up a rifle. In fact, you wouldn't happen to have any paintball guns that look like real guns? Just to screw with them even more by making them believe that you're actually handling a real one. We can even hit the targets fast enough that the kids won't see that they won't see that it's pain until we tell them; maybe even get goofy and shoot one of them to prove a point. Either way, I think it could work. Care to set everything up at the range when the kids are around?"

David chuckled. "I do believe that we have a couple of paintball guns lying around here somewhere. We could go out there and do it after we all get back from the wedding so that we can make sure that they see us at different points in and out a lot and scurrying about the property. When asked, we'll just say that we're setting up for target practice."

Brie laughed as she and Kaylian came back into the room. "Yes, we'll get to watch Jacob have an aneurysm. I love it!"

Skyler grinned wide and devilishly.  "Yes! I like that idea too! As much as it sounds horrible to harass the kids like that, your worrywarts need to have that aneurysm so they can let go. And quite frankly, they should enjoy it with us too. Who knows how long you two have left with them, so they should make the most of each day having fun with you, not fretting over you. Ideally, this better be the wake-up call for them to unclench, because otherwise I will help you put a boot in their asses to make them. I'm normally patient and understanding with the kids, but they are way too overprotective of you."

David laughed.  “Well, I can tell you the two to jump and help us set it up will be James and Marc. 'Dad, let me get that for you. I know you can't really reach it anymore.' If any of the girls will get involved, I couldn't tell you."

Brie sat down next to her husband after taking her tea off of the tray that Kaylian sat on the living room table and gave him a look out of the corner of her eye.  “David, you know better than that. None of our girls will get behind you setting up target practice on the range, whether you're using paintball guns or not. You are their Daddy and they will not tolerate foolishness from you thinking that you're going to shoot at anything, no matter the distance you're shooting from."

"And that's exactly why Skyler and I are doing this. We're going to give the kids that heart attack that will shock them into realizing you and I are going to die and they should just enjoy the time they have left. If they're really ok with us having a little freedom and the idea that we don't have much longer, then they'll help us do it."

She looked a bit standoffish.  "I'm not expected to participate, am I? My hands won't grip the rifle anymore."

David laughed, kissing her temple. "No dear. I'd love it if you just watched though."


Skyler chuckled.  "It'd be great to see Jay and Marc jump in. I bet Damien may help us out too, especially if we tell him beforehand that we're pulling a prank on your kids. He'll get a kick out of seeing the result."

"So we get Damien in on this and he'll help us pull this trick on our kids? Will he feel bad for tricking Jeremiah?" David asked.

"He might. However, we're really only targeting the kids we know will flip their lids and Jeremiah's not one of them. Damien won't feel too bad so long as he doesn't have to target Miah in particular. So he should be fine where that's concerned. Besides, I don't think Miah would care anyhow. He's kinda laid back like that", Skyler added with a chuckle.

Brie looked at her husband.  "He has a point. Didn't Jeremiah say that he's ok with us passing in when it finally does happen?"

David nodded as he glanced down at his wife. "That he did", he said and looked toward Skyler.  "Ok, so we're aiming this mainly at Jordan, Jake, and Jessi. The rest of the kids- not so much. We can do this. This is going to be so much fun. More fun than I've had in a very long time."

Kaylian smiled as she sipped her tea. "Well, it sounds like this will be both fun and interesting all at once."

 "You'll sit by Brie and watch me too, right babe?" Skyler asked, giving his wife the charmingly sweet smile.

"You know I will. It would be nice to sit and watch you and David have some fun and talk about it with Brie, just like old times."

Brie smiled. "Ah yes, just like old times, Kaylian. Sitting back in that little sound proof room passing Matt back and forth during the Farewell show until I had to get this one ready to go onstage."  She elbowed David playfully in the ribs as she continued.  “Or baking over the holidays.  God, I feel old now.”

David placed a gentle kiss on her hair.  “You’re still young at heart, love.  As long as you’re young at heart, you’re never old.”

---------------

When it was time for the game, Skyler and Kaylian took David and Brie up to the house so that they could watch the game with their kids and grandkids.  All of the boys were already there, as was Jordan.  Maddie had dropped Asher off so that he could watch the game with his Grampa.  Turned out that Colton was still upset that his Cards got their asses kicked in the playoffs.

There was metal playing in the house as everyone scurried about to make sure that things were set up.  It was the perfect music to get everyone pumped for the big game.  David and Brie were sure to get through the busy kitchen as quickly as they could so that they didn’t get run over.  Neither was frail but neither wanted to risk injury either.

Finally the coin was tossed and the game was underway.  It wasn’t long into the first quarter that the Bears had scored.  James was sure to jump up in his feet when he saw that the full back had the ball and was making a run for it, plowing through the defense in a 45 yard drive to the end zone.  “OH THAT WAS A THING OF BEAUTY!  MATHISON HAS HIS HEAD ON STRAIGHT TONIGHT!!” he shouted as everyone cheered.

David laughed.  “CAN YOU GET ANY LOUDER, JAMES MATTHEW?” he asked over the noise.  “WE CAN HEAR YOU WITHOUT ALL OF THE YELLING!”

James laughed.  “I know.  I’m sorry.  Mathison was a school friend of mine.  We played ball together; kicked AstroTurf together.  He was my best friend in college.”

“I get that, James.  Cheer him on, but please keep it down.”

“I’ll try.  No promises, Dad.”

David chuckled as he ate a handful of popcorn from the large bowl that was sitting on the couch next to him and his wife.  She was picking at it, but wasn’t really all that interested.  She had rather just sip at her soda and nibble at the snacks that Delilah had made keeping in mind that she and Jake were diabetic.  True, Samantha was also in the house but she wasn’t watching the game.  Watching football with the family had always been optional.  No one was forced to watch the game.  For the most part it was the grandsons that were present, and the Draiman boys that were present and their wives. 

Minute after minute the clock ticked on until halftime where some stupid pop star was performing.  The TV was muted the entire time that the halftime show played.  The score was tied 14 all at the half.  They were hoping that the Bears would make a killer come back in the second half.  Either way it happened, it would be a hard fought game from both teams.  It was, after all, the Super Bowl.  No one slacked when they played the big game.

Finally, when the halftime ridiculousness was over, they unmuted to TV and went back to the game.  The Bears didn’t take long to take control of the ball and the field, though there were penalties flying left and right.  Some were called on the Jags, some were on the Bears- all of the penalties that were called on the Bears were bull shit calls and the ones that the refs missed on the Jags were ‘fucking ludicrous’ to quote James.  It didn’t matter who the penalties were called on, James thought that the refs needed glasses.  Hell, all of the men thought that the refs needed glasses.  A few of the women that were watching agreed.  Brie just sat on the couch next to David in silence.  There were times when she was so quiet that he wondered if she was still breathing.  He’d glance over at her to see her paying ardent attention to the game.  She just didn’t have anything to say.  “Is everything alright?” he asked at one point.

“Yeah, I’m fine.  I’m just watching the game and enjoying watching the four of my sons that are here make fools of themselves as they cheer on the family team.  That’s all.”

“Ok.  I just wanted to check on you.  If you don’t want to finish the game we can go upstairs.”

“No David.  I’m fine, though I appreciate the consideration.  We can watch the game.  I’m fine.  Don’t worry about me, David.  I might not understand the sport, but I enjoy the family time.  And you have to admit that watching our grown sons do a chest bump every time the Bears score is hilarious.”  She was referring to Malachai and James.  Jake and Jeremiah were a little more reserved, resorting to a strange handshake of sorts.  All Brie could do was shake her head and smile.

David would have responded, but a quick glance at the screen stripped him of his thoughts.  Mathison was making a run for it.  He’d broken away and there was nothing between him and the end zone but turf and air.  All of the men were shouting at the screen, “GO, GO, GO, GO… RUN LIKE THE WIND, COREY!  NOTHING BUT AIR AND OPPORTUNITY!  BOOK IT, YOU SON OF A BITCH!” they all shouted at once.  He stopped two yards away and jumped over the goal line casually.  Food went flying through the air and Brie had to duck.  She was getting a popcorn shower, as well as hit with other foods.  Delilah was going to make the boys clean up the mess; that was for sure.  Lilah hated a messy house and was OCD about food in her floor.

As soon as the celebration was over, Delilah was sure to make it known that the boys would be cleaning after making sure that Brie was ok.  “Boys, I hope you guys don’t have anything to do for the rest of the night.  You’re cleaning up my house.  The only exceptions to that are Dad and Mr. Mason.  If you have any issues with that, be sure that you take it up with my complaint department, who will also be cleaning the house.”

“What does that mean?” James asked.

“I’ve got to help clean”, Jake said.  “But she has a point.  We are adults; we don’t have to make huge messes like this.   Mom made us all do the same thing when we were growing up.”

---------------

“AND I WANT EVERY CRUMB UP OUT OF MY FLOOR OR SO HELP ME I’M GOING TO KILL SOMEONE!!” Delilah shouted from the kitchen where she, Jona and Jordan were cleaning up cooking mess from before the game.  It wasn’t fun, but it had to be done.

“YOU AND WHAT ARMY?!” Malachai shouted back.

“MY LEFT FOOT AND MY RIGHT FOOT, MALACHAI!  YOU ARE NOT TOO BIG FOR ME TO KICK YOUR ASS!”  As much as Delilah Draiman loved her older brother in law, he certain was a pain in her ass a lot of the time.  She heard his chuckle from the living room and knew that she’d gotten her message across.  She looked at Mandy, who was scrubbing the table.  “Is he this big a pain in the ass at home?”

“Of course”, Mandy laughed.  “It’s just what Malachai does.  He’s a pain in the ass.”

“Not surprised.”

Mandy looked at Lilah, concern written on her face.  “Delilah, can I ask you something and you’ll tell me the truth?”

“Of course.  What’s on your mind Mandy?”

“Is everything ok with Mom and Dad?  I’m worried about them.”

“They’re fine, Amanda.  They’re just feeling their ages as the cold affects them.  Once spring rolls around, they’ll both be spry again in no time.  There’s really no need for you to worry yourself.”

She nodded.  “I just worry about them, Lilah.  I would hate for them to pass any other way than at peace.”

“Do you think that their passing is going to be chaotic?” Kenna asked as she swept the floor.

“Well no.  I just don’t want them to be left in the middle of nowhere when they go, not to have anyone discover them until they Jessi stumbles upon them.”

“That’s highly unlikely, Mandy”, Jona said.  “Jessi won’t be the one to discover them.  I can guarantee you that much.”

“How do you know?”

“Because they’re not going back to Israel until one or both of them is being laid to rest”, Delilah said.  “They told Jake that they going to finish out their lives here.”

“When?” Jordan asked.

“The day they got here after everyone that wasn’t supposed to be here had left and every one was supposed to be here had returned from where they left to.  They talked party and Jake told them that they he would make sure that they had fun this visit.  They told him that it wasn’t a visit.”

“Wow.  What about the house in Israel?” Kenna asked.

“I think they just left it with Jessi.”

“Well, if that’s not an eye opener.  Does everyone else know?” Jordan asked.

“No and keep it to yourself.”  Delilah was serious.  “They’ll tell everyone when they’re ready for everyone to know.  Keep it close to the vest until they tell everyone.  I’m sure they want to just enjoy a little bit of time just being here before you all go acting like fools.”  She looked very pointedly at Jordan.  “I mean it Jordan.  Keep your trap shut.  If they don’t tell anyone until Hanukkah that they’re staying here until they die, then it’s on them.  Let them relax and enjoy their stay here.”

“Is it ok if I invite them to stay over at the house with me and mine?”

“That’s on you and yours, Jord.  Just don’t got acting like a moron and treating them like children.”  Little did any of the women know, but David and Skyler had been plotting against them all that very afternoon.  Only time would tell when they would all know of the plot and how they would react.  Some would freak out; some would help set up, but by the time all was said and done, they would all be one step closer to letting their parents go.

Chapter 51

Jake went to bed that night with a crooked smile on his face.  He was looking forward to getting up at three.  He didn’t usually enjoy the thought of being up that early to do anything- though it was the time that he took to get his workout and got up to get ready for the world.

He slept like a newborn baby that night.  Delilah could feel his excitement as she drifted off in his arms, but didn’t bother asking what was going on.  She was pretty sure she knew.  It wasn’t often that she saw her husband become conniving but when he did, she had to admit that it was pretty sexy.  Maybe after he called and scared the hell out of Malachai she could give him his cardio instead of him hitting the gym.

Beep, beep, beep… beep, beep, beep, the alarm screamed into the silence of the master bedroom.  Jake’s eyes opened and he smiled.  It was time to screw with his big brother.  He reached over to his nightstand and grabbed his personal phone off of the charging mat it was laying on and dialed his brother’s number.  When Malachai answered, it was with a voice that was laden with sleep.  “Hello?”

“Malachai, are you up yet?” Jake asked.

“No”, he said.  “Dude, Jake- it’s 3 am.  Are you kidding me?  Why are you calling?”

“What the fuck, ‘Chai?!  You’re gonna be late!”

“What?  What am I going to be late for?”

“Mom and Dad get in at 4:30!”

Malachai’s tone changed.  “What?”

“You heard me, man!  And Dad said you had better be there early and be ready to play that track for them.  Dude, you are in such hot water!  I tried to remind you last night and you blew me off.”

He could her that his brother was up moving around as he spoke.  “Fuck, Dad’s gonna kill me.  I totally forgot about that song.  I have to download it from my laptop.”

“Are one of your kids up?”

“Eli might be.  He and B have been getting up and hitting the gym in the mornings here recently.  B thinks he’s fat.”

“We can talk about your middle son’s insecure lover when you get Mom and Dad.  You should have been up and ready to go by now, ‘Chai!  You assured me that you had it all under control!”

“I’m sorry Jake.  I’m nowhere near perfect.”

“You should have listened rather than assuring me that you had everything in control.  You had better get out the door.  Have Mandy download that song for you while you get dressed.”

“I guess I’ll have to.  Shit.  Why didn’t you call me sooner?!”

“Because you told me that you had it under control.  I suppose I should have called thirty minutes ago rather than trusting you to actually pay attention.”

“That’s cutting deep, Jacob.”

“I’m not sorry.  I think the idea of your oldest children getting married and Miranda giving you your first grandchild soon has made you slow.  Start paying attention and get your ass out the door.  At least fifteen early, ‘Chai, or Dad’s going to flip.”  Jake ended the call and smiled brightly.  He felt pretty good about himself.  He had sufficiently messed with his older brother.  It was low, sure.  Did he care?  No.  Malachai needed to pull his head out of his ass.

Delilah was looking over at him as he moved to sit up and get out of the bed.  As he started to stand, she stopped in with a hand on his arm.  “Where do you think you’re going?” she asked provocatively.

“I’ve got to get dressed for my workout, Lilah.  I go through the same routine every morning.”

She pulled him gently back into the bed.  “Why don’t we deviate the morning; just this once?”

He chuckled.  “What did you have in mind?”

“That act you just put on… that was pretty hot.”

He sat back down on the edge of the bed, turning so that he was facing her.  “Oh?  You liked that did you?”

“No.  I loved it.”  She moved closer to him as she spoke.  “That was so sexy.  I love it when you’re being sneaky and screwing with Malachai’s head.  It’s such a turn on.”  She closed the distance, her lips brushing against his.

“Was it?  You don’t seem very excited to me.”

“I was giving you the chance to take the lead there, Doctor, but I guess I have to throw this bitch into drive.”  She pressed her lips to his and ignited the spark.  It wasn’t long before he had her on her back  and out of her night clothes.  Having none of it, Delilah flipped him into his back and slithered down his body.  It was so sexy when she took her time… the thought was interrupted as soon as he felt her mouth on him.

---------------

Malachai was running late.  It took him longer than he thought it would to get ready to go pick his parents up.  He knew exactly where the station was, thankfully, and had a short cut in mind that would shave about 10 minutes off of his time.

He pulled up next to the curb, letting the parking attendant know that he needed the spot because he was picking up his elderly parents.  “I need to be as close as I can.  My mother has severe back problems and the arthritis in my father’s knees is quiet brutal in itself.  It’s just better this way.  Once I have them with me, I’ll be off.”

“Do you know if their train has arrived?” the attendant asked.

“My luck?  It has and they’re waiting on me.”

“As long as you’re no long than about fifteen minutes, you’ll be fine.  If you think you’re going to be longer, then I’m going to have to ask you to move the vehicle.”

“I shouldn’t be longer than fifteen.  If I’m lucky and the train is running behind, I’ll be right out to move it.  I swear on my granddaughter.”  Malachai ran off, checking the arrival screen to see when his parents train arrived.  Cursing under his breath, he headed for the platform they would have been waiting at.  Spotting his father was easy enough so he ran over.  “I’m so sorry I’m late!” he said when he approached.

“It’s about damn time, Aaron!” Brie said.  “Where the hell have you been for the last twenty minutes?”

“I’m sorry Mom.  My alarm didn’t go off.  Jake called and woke me up.  And I had to download the song.  I completely forgot that I had to play that for you two.”

“We’ll continue this in the car after we hear the song Malachai”, David said.  “Let’s just get the hell out of here.”  He stood carefully from the bench where he was sitting and offered his wife a hand.  She took it and stood.  “Get our bags Malachai”, he said and started walking off toward the exit of the building.  Malachai wasn’t too far behind them.  When they came to the SUV, they got into the back seat and got settled in after putting on their seatbelts as Malachai put the bags in the back of the vehicle.

Once Malachai was loaded into the driver’s seat and was pulling away from the station, he looked over his shoulder at the first stop light.  “Ok, so you wanted to hear the song before we get to homestead.  Now or about half way there?”

“Now Malachai”, David said.  “Better now than in half an hour when we’re chewing your ass for not being prepared.”

“Right.”  He hit play on the remote that operated his stereo and the song started playing.  He glanced in the rear view mirror as the song played and watched as they nodded and lip synched along with the song.  They both knew it by heart.  One of them had written it and the other had been the inspiration behind it.  Before it had even been recorded, she knew the lyrics by heart because he would walk around the house singing it as her prepared to go back to the studio to record it.  It was the first one he’d finished for the album.  When the song was over, he looked back at them in the mirror.  “You hate it, don’t you?  I knew this was going to happen.”

“No, we don’t hate it”, his mother said.

“You like it?”

“Not really”, his father answered.

“What?”

“We don’t love it or hate it.  It would have been nice if he hadn’t changed it as much as he did, but it wasn’t as bad as you and Jordan led us to believe.”

“So do we allow it on the tribute?”

“No.  It wouldn’t have mattered how we felt about it, we weren’t going to allow it on  the tribute”, Brie said 

with a shake of her head.

“Now”, David said, getting straight to business, “what the fuck took you so long this morning, Malachai?”

“My alarm wasn’t set right.  I thought you weren’t coming until five or six.  I spaced it.  I’ve been pretty preoccupied with Miranda’s wedding and the baby coming.  Isaiah’s trying to start planning his wedding for next year.  There’s a lot going on.”

“You need to learn to prioritize better”, his mother said.

“Your mother and I are too FUCKING OLD to be sitting in a train station WAITING ON YOU!!” David said sternly.  “Pull your head out of your ass, Malachai Aaron.  Yes, Miranda is getting married in a month and having a baby in two.  That’s a big deal, I get that.  Remember, you and your siblings have made your mother and I grandparents 27 times.  We get that you’re excited, but you made a commitment to pick us up and that means that you are supposed to be waiting on us at the station, not the other way around.  Now pull your head out of your ass and keep in mind what’s immediately important isn’t what’s going on with Miranda’s pregnancy with Grace.  What was immediately important was being here on time to keep me from being cross.”

“It’s way too early in the morning, Malachai, for your Dad and I to be sitting in a crowded train station waiting on you.  The train itself was uncomfortable, my back is killing me, your father’s knees are bothering him… and you decided to just assure Jake that you had it all under control and you showed up late.  Do you realize that twenty minutes in that disgusting train station was ridiculously long?”

“I know, Mom and Dad, and I really am sorry.  Things have just gotten away from me.”

“You’re only 51, Malachai”, David said.  “You’re not old enough to be having bouts of memory lapse.”

“Haven’t you ever been distracted to the point where things get away from you?”

“Not that I recall.  Not since your mother and I have been together.  She keeps me focused and I don’t usually get distracted to that point.  I have my priorities in line.”

“I can only apologize again, Dad.  I’m sorry.  I don’t know why I let the other stuff make me complacent.”

“Because your little girl- and for twelve years, your only girl- is getting married and starting her own family.  It’s exciting stuff and it can get overwhelming.  You just need to keep your priorities.  Miranda’s big days aren’t until March and April respectively.  You only had to be at the train station 15 minutes early to pick us up.  Which one was immediately more important?”

---------------

When they got to homestead, Jake was waiting at the door.  “How was that crow, ‘Chai?” he asked.

“Don’t start Jake”, Malachai said.

“Feeling a little sensitive?”

“Quit while you’re ahead.”

“That goes for you too”, David said.  “Jacob, call your twin and have her bring young Mr. Winters over.  Malachai, calls James and tell him to get his tall, scrawny ass over here as well.”

“Are there more ass chewings on the horizon?” Jake asked.

“Possibly”, David said as he waved his sons out of the way so that he and his wife could get into the house.  “Do you gentlemen mind stepping aside so that your mother and I can sit on the couch you two seem so fond of blocking us from?”

Jake stepped back into the house to allow everyone in as he called Jordan to let her know to get herself over to homestead as quickly as she could manage it.  David and Brie finally got into the house and made their way to the couch as Jeremiah had Seth and Matt head outside to get their grandparents’ things out of Malachai’s SUV.  As they waited, David did what he usually did and took over the television.

It took about 30 minutes for everyone to arrive, but they finally showed.  “Children, excuse us for a few minutes”, David said as he paused the TV.  Once the grandchildren were all out of the room- regardless of age- he began.  “First and foremost, Ryan, I would like to know why you changed what you did in that song?”  There was no hint of anger in his voice.  He was simply curious.

“The things that we changed were things we all felt needed to be slightly tweaked so that it didn’t sound like it was just another Disturbed song”, Ryan said respectfully.

“But it is a Disturbed song, son.  I should know.  I wrote it.”

“If you didn’t like it, we can always re-record it to your liking.”

He shook his head.  “That won’t be necessary.  It not going on the tribute regardless.  Luckily for you, we didn’t hate it.  We didn’t love it either.  We’re indifferent about it.  Pick another song from my vast catalogue to do to replace it.  You’re never to touch that song again as long as I’m breathing.  Do I make myself clear?”

Ryan nodded.  “Yes sir.  I completely understand you.  Are there any other songs that are off limits?”

“No.  Just that one.”

“Ok.”

“You may now leave the room.  I have to scold my children now.”

“If it’s ok, I’ll just step outside.  I’d like to smoke and know how all of you feel about that.”

Jake nodded.  “Thank you for respecting my home, Ryan.”

Once Ryan Winters was gone, David looked at Malachai and Jordan.  “My question for the two of you is this, if you were so sure that he was going to cover that song and so sure that we were going to hate it, then why didn’t you two keep tighter reigns on Wrought Iron?”

“We were trying to get our own stuff tracked and they’re one of our more experienced bands.  We have other acts on our label that don’t know what we expect in the studio and this project is helping to break them.  We stuck around and produced them ourselves rather than sticking them with someone else”, Jordan explained.  “It never occurred to us that he would change it.”

“Well he did.  Again, Jordan Hannah, you’re very lucky we didn’t hate it”, Brie said.  “We’re indifferent about the sound.  We’re not in love, but we don’t hate it.”

“And James Matthew”, David said, “since when are you a tattle- tale?”

“Excuse me?” James said.

“I know I taught you to be your brothers’ keeper and to help them out when they needed it, but since when do I need you to tell me that your brothers or sisters have made bone head mistakes?”

“You don’t.”

“Then, why are you snitching?” Brie asked.

“I didn’t realize I was doing that at any point.  What are you referring to?”

“The night you and Malachai called and asked us to come back here to watch this damn football game with you.  You seemed like you were enjoying the idea of Malachai and Jordan being in deep with us.”

“It was a little funny, I’ll admit.”

“I’ll reiterate what your mother just asked then”, David said.  “Why are you snitching?”

“I didn’t think I was.”

“The only  one of you allowed to do anything close to snitching is Jacob because he reports to me on all of the things happening in the family.  Why do you think he calls you all regularly and has been for the last sixteen years?  He’s getting information on the good and bad to give me.  Now, this telling on each other because you think it’s funny is going to come to an end.  You’re siblings.  Understood?”

---------------

Once everyone was off to where they needed to go, Ira came down the stairs to greet his grandparents.  “I’m surprised you two are back so soon”, he laughed.  “Not that you’re not welcome.”

“Nice save, grandson”, Brie said.

“Yes, very nice”, David echoed.  “We’re here to watch the Super Bowl with everyone.”

“Sweet!  I’ve actually got something to look forward to this weekend.”

“You’re not dating anyone?” Brie asked.

“No, though I’m sure my mother wishes I were.  I would much rather focus on my studies.  I’m actually a little over half finished with my Associates’.”

“So you decided to go into psychology?” David asked.

“Yes.  I had to do a little soul searching, and that’s what I decided.  Dealing with that computer degree wasn’t horrible, but I’m not passionate about computers and I’m not curious about them.  I’m fascinated by the human psyche and I would love nothing more than to try to figure out how it works.”

David nodded.  “Wise choice.  If that’s what you want to do with yourself, Ira Benjamin, then do that.”

“I am.  I actually just finished the most fascinating paper.”

“Oh?  On what?”

“That female serial that was executed in Texas around the time Disturbed retired.  Tracy Gail Stevens.”

“The one that killed all those soldiers after the Occupation?” David asked.

“Yeah.  She killed- what was it, like seven?- before she was caught”, was Ira’s response.  “I just sent the paper into my professor.”

“Good luck”, David said.

“Thanks Grampa, but I don’t need luck.  I’m just good.  It’s hard not to be good like me when I’m like every other Draiman- an over achiever.”  He chuckled.

His grandparents joined him.  “We’re not all over achievers”, Brie said.

“Gramma, please.  You knew everything there was to know about massage when you were grandfathered into the national massage registration and yet you to nursing school in your 40’s and 50’s so that you could be a midwife.  That’s not being an over achiever?”

David let out a belly laugh- laughing so hard that he could barely breathe.  “THAT SHIT WAS PRICELESS!!!” he laughed.  “He got you there, baby.  You have to admit.”

Brie looked at her husband, giving him a cross look and laughed.  “Sure you two, laugh it up.  I’m gonna make sure that Delilah puts something in your food tonight.”

Chapter 50

JJ was at the house bright and early the following morning.  He was there before David and Brie had even bothered to get up.  They were still sleeping rather peacefully.  “Marc, where are your folks?  You said they would be here”, the Oscar award winning director and Marc’s father in law asked.

“I’m actually about to go check on them.  They’re usually up pretty early.  I was sure that they would want to see the kids off to school.”  He sipped his espresso before standing up from the table and jogging up the stairs.  He came to the door and rapped on it lightly then listened carefully.  He chuckled.  Yeah, that’s what I thought, he thought to himself as he turned and went back down to the kitchen.  “They’ll be down shortly, I’m sure.  Son un poco ocupados ahora.”

“What are they doing?”

“You don’t want to know, man.  You really don’t want to know.”

JJ gave him a look then looked at his daughter.  “Ellos tienen el sexo.”

JJ’s jaw dropped.  “At their ages?  You’re bullshitting me, Marc.”

“No.  They’re still active even in their 80’s”, Marc laughed.  He eyeballed the espresso sitting on the table.  “Angelita, would you be a doll and make a pot of coffee?  This espresso isn’t getting it.”

Mercedes laughed.  “Of course, corazón.  One pot of coffee, coming up.”

JJ was still shocked.  “¿En serio que están teniendo sexo?”

“Yes, JJ.  They’re seriously up there…” Marc started.

“Don’t finish that sentence”, JJ laughed.  “I can’t listen to you finish that sentence in English.  It’s bad enough I heard it in Spanish.  I’m just in disbelief.  In their 80’s?”

Marc nodded.  “Yeah.  Crazy.  I hope I can still physically do that stuff when I’m my father’s age, man.”

“I hope I can find someone to spend what’s left of my life with.”

“Don’t worry about that, Daddy”, Mercedes said.  “You’ll find someone I’m sure and I’ll do my best not to be an evil bitch and run them off.”  She pecked her father’s cheek.

“You can’t be a devil woman to every woman I bring home, Mercedes Ernesta.  You have got to like one of them sooner or later.”

“I’m trying Daddy.  You can’t blame me for being protective.”

JJ chuckled.  “I guess I can’t.  You’re my only child and you want me to be with someone who will love me and not my money.”

“Much like I fell for Marc.  I love him, not the money he was born into.”

“Do you know what their wills say?” JJ asked Marc.

“No.  I’m not executor of the joint estate.  Nothing gets released to any of us until they’ve both passed, as painful as it sounds”, Marc said with a shrug.  It didn’t really matter to him.  As far as he was concerned all of the money could have been left to charity or to the grandchildren and he wouldn’t have been affected.

“Who’s the executor?”

“My older brothers and sisters, I believe.”

“They have joint executors and a joint estate?”

“Yeah.  I believe I heard it explained that it was never really separated.  Everything belonged to the two of them, so everything is to be divided amongst those inheriting jointly.  It’s not my problem.  That’s for Jake, Jordan, Malachai and Maddie to all sort out.”

---------------

Finally, David and Brie made their presence known in the down stairs of the house.  JJ looked at them with a grin.  “How has your morning been?” he asked knowingly.

“Not bad”, David responded.  “How are you today, JJ?”

“A tad depressed, but it happens.”

“What are you depressed about?” Brie asked.

“It’s nothing you need to worry about, Brie, but you’re sweet for asking.  Were you two interested in seeing the storyboards for the movie?”

They both shrugged.  “If you want to show us”, David said with a shrug.    “It really doesn’t matter either way.  We have to leave this afternoon.  That’s all we’re focused on.”

“I’ll go grab them from the car.”  JJ stood and headed out to his car.

As they settled into their seats at the kitchen table Marc gave them a knowing grin.  “So, you missed saying bye to the kids this morning”, he said, hinting that he knew what they were doing when JJ arrived.

“We’re in our 80, Christopher”, David said.  “We’re allowed to miss telling the grandchildren goodbye for school in the morning.”

“I’m not saying you’re not.  They are a little disappointed.”

“They’re teenagers now, Marc”, Brie chided.  “They’ll get over it.  They’ll see us again when we all come out here for the wedding.”

“True…”

“Son, if you have something to say, by God, just say it”, David said.  “Stop beating around the bush.  You know better shit than that.”

“You two aren’t as loud as I remember anymore.”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“I went to see if you two were still breathing so that you could come down and see the kids off for school.  I knocked softly on the door and heard Mom.”

“And?” his mother said.

“And nothing.  I know why you weren’t down here.  JJ’s jealous, but you didn’t hear it here.”

“Of what?”

“The fact that’s he a widower and hasn’t been able to find a woman that’s worth a damn”, Mercedes chimed in.  “I don’t like any of his past girlfriends and I run them off.”  She shrugged.

“The reminds me of Malachai before I met David”, Brie laughed.  “Malachai was running off anyone I would bring home.  Guys, girls- you name it.  I could bring over a new friend from the clinic and he would run them off.  The one of the girls that worked for me was Trisha.  He hated the rest of the girls.  I asked him about it once.  He said that they were all mean to him.  When I asked him which ones, they were all fired.”

“Well, all of the women I run off are actresses that want to ‘get that big part in a JJ Juarez movie’.  I won’t have some stupid bitch breaking my father’s heart because she wants to use him to progress her career.  Sobre mi cadáver”, Mercedes explained after making sure that her father wasn’t on his way back into the house.

Brie laughed a little.  “I understand that.”

“Did Malachai try that with you, Dad?” Marc asked.

David shook his head.  “No.  The moment he laid eyes on me he asked if he could call me Daddy.  I guess he saw something that he didn’t see in the other people your Mom brought home before me.”

“You were certainly a blessing to us both”, Brie said with a grin.

“And you and Malachai were the long awaited answer to a multitude of fervently said prayers.”

---------------

JJ showed David and Brie the story boards as they ate breakfast.  “I loved the story of you meeting your in-laws, David.  When Marc told me about it I couldn’t stop laughing.  Your mother in law was a character.”

David and Brie laughed.  “If only you knew JJ”, Brie said.  “My mother was a trip and a half.”

“When I wasn’t laughing at something she said, I was beet red from something she’d said”, David said.  “Sarah Rebekah Cartwright had no problem speaking her little Danish mind.”

“She was Danish?” Marc asked.

“Yes Marc”, Brie said.  “You’re a quarter Belgian, a quarter Irish, a quarter Israeli, and a quarter Danish.”

“How does all of that add up to three quarters Jewish?”

“I was raised in a very Orthodox Jewish home, Christopher”, David said.  “My mother’s parents were Holocaust survivors, remember?”

“Sorry Dad.  I had a moment.  Call it blond or call it a brain fart.  Hell, say that my brainwaves skipped a beat if you like.”

His parents both laughed.  “You’re not supposed to be having memory issues yet, Marc.  You’re only 36”, David said.

“You know, I just realized that I’m almost the same age you were, Dad, when you and Mom got married.”

“In nine years you’ll be the same age I was when you and your twin sister were born.  Isn’t that crazy?”

“I never thought of that, Dad.  I’d rather take it a little bit at a time, you know what I mean?”

“Wise of you”, Brie said.  “When you come to be your mine and your Dad’s ages, you’ll realize that it’s the best to way to live because you never know which moment will be the last.”

“Cherish each and every moment as though it were the last”, JJ said.

“Exactamente”, Brie said.  She looked back at JJ.  “Are there any blank spots that you need filled in for any of this project?”

“If there are, can we call and get them filled in?” JJ responded.

“As long as one of us is still living, I suppose”, David said.  “I don’t see the harm in it.”

JJ nodded.  “Thank you.  It’s always good to be able to check with the source when you’re doing a biographical piece.”

“Well, until my heart no longer beats, JJ, you and Marc can give me a call to see if there’s anything about a certain scene that needs to be corrected whether it be dialogue or whatever.”

JJ nodded.  “I’m sure I speak for your son when I say that it’s greatly appreciated.”

Marc echoed him.  “No kidding.  We greatly appreciate this, Dad.  You and Mom are going to be great resources for this project.  Thank you.”

“My pleasure, Marc.  And should I go before your mother, I’m sure she can fill in a lot of the blanks for you as well.”

“I’ll keep that in mind, Dad.  Thanks.”

---------------

After Marc had seen them onto the train, David got out his phone and called Jacob as the train pulled out of the station.  “Hello, this is Jake Draiman.  Sorry I can’t answer the phone at the moment.  I’m probably dealing with a patient or my kids, or I’m on my other line consulting with a colleague.  If you could leave me your name, number, and a detailed message about what you need I’ll get back to you at my next available moment.  Thank you and may you a blessed day”, Jake’s voicemail said.  David groaned silently as he listened, being careful not to disturb his sleeping wife.  “Jacob, this is your father.  Call me.  I’ll tell you what I want when you get back to me.  Make is quick please.  I don’t have the rest of my life, you know.  Goodbye, son.”  He hung up and put a movie on so that he could relax.  He was tired, but he needed to stay awake as long as he could manage so that he could take the return call from Jake.

Right as the plot in the movie he was watching was getting good, his phone started ringing.  “Hello?” he asked, not looking at the screen to see who was calling.

“Hey Dad.  You wanted me to call?” Jake’s voice said.

“Yes I did.  Make sure that Malachai is at the station early in the morning and that he’s ready to play that track for your mother and me.  I’ve been anticipating this for a the last few weeks.”

“I will did.  I think he’s lulled himself in to a sense of false security, but I have a plan to stir him into a frenzy so that his nerves are on edge when you and Mom listen to it.”

“Have you heard it?”

“I have.  I don’t think it’s as horrible as he and Jordan are making it out to be.  You know how they spin shit out of proportion.  It’s ridiculous, to be frank Dad.”

“I agree Jacob, but there’s nothing that can be done about it.  There’s no changing them this late in life like there’s not really any changing you this late in life.  You and your sister are 46 years old, Jacob.  Malachai will be 51 soon.  Changing you would not only be impossible, but pointless.”

“Yeah, I see what you mean.  Doesn’t mean I like it.”

“You’ll get used to it, Jake.  I had to as I watched all ten of you fuckers grow up and start families of your own- then watch as the children you had started to develop their own personalities.”

“Yeah.  It’s been scary, I have to say.  Well for me at least.  I can’t speak for you and Mom.”

“Just imagine how you’re going to feel when Ira comes to you and says, ‘Dad, I’m about to make you a grandfather’, then you can vaguely imagine how it is for me and Mom.”

“Food for thought, I suppose.”

“Indeed.  Now, I’m going to go back to my movie.  You have a plan in place to scare the shit out of Malachai?”

“He’ll be there early, Dad.  I got the plan from Marc, the master prankster.”

“Oh, now I know he’ll be freaking out when the train pulls into the station early in the morning.  Have I told you recently, Jacob, that it’s not right to conspire and connive against your brother like this?” he chuckled.

“You taught us that, but you also taught us that we’re our brother’s keeper, so if I’m supposed to keep him in line and keep him on schedule when he’s no on the road, then I have to be allowed a little free reign.”

“Well said, Jake.  You’re going to be the leader of the family yet, my son.  Now, I’m going back to my movie and lunch is about to be served so I have to wake your mother.  We’ll see you tomorrow morning.”

“I’ll be up.  I always am.”

When they hung up, David gently woke the angel that was sleeping on his shoulder.  “Brie, love, they’re going to be bringing lunch around soon.  You should wake up”, he whispered as he brushed his fingertips over her cheek.

She took a deep breath in as she came out of her soft slumber.  “Lunch soon, huh?”  She sat up from where she was laying on his arm and stretched a little.  “How much longer until they come pester us?”

“Fifteen minutes, give or take.  Enough time for you to splash a little water on your face to wake up a little.”

“I think I’ll do just that then.”  She stood carefully, her back and knees going snap, crackle, pop as she straightened out.  “Good GOD!”, she said.  “What the hell?!  Now my knees are giving me shit?  This being old shit is for the birds.”

“I’m sorry, love.  I wish there were something I could do.”

“I know, David.  Sad thing is that there’s nothing either of us can do about it.  It’s just a fact of life.”

“Unfortunately, you’re right.”  He sighed.  “Go splash some water on your face and I’ll be here when you get back.  When they come around to remove the lunch dishes I’ll have them lay the bed out so that you don’t have a lot of pressure on your spine during the trip.”

She reached down and took his hand, kissing his palm softly.  “Thank you, love.  That will make the period of time that we’re on this train a little more tolerable.”